6.5 Creedmoor

[Von Gruff]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen I say often enough that if we were restricted to pre 2920 cartridges we would still have all we need to hunt anything anywhere anytime.

 

[Newboomer]

@Bob Nelson 35Whelen I say often enough that if we were restricted to pre 2920 cartridges we would still have all we need to hunt anything anywhere anytime.

2920? Don't you mean 1920?. I'll go along with that even though I have some newer ones.

 

[Manny R]

Hey guys let me run this by y'all. I have been looking for Hornady 143 gr ELD-X ammo for 6.5 Creed moor on the web. What I seem to be finding there is a lot of ELD-X ammo out there but I feel multiple sites are just scammers. I have seen it from $28.00 a box with a minimum of $350.00 order or as high as $69.00 a box and $30.00 minimum shipping. When checking these companies out I find them to have Google phone numbers, just a recording or a web site to order not knowing if they are even real or a review may say scam alert.
I think it would be GREAT if AH members & Friends would post legitimate sources of good prices for not only factory ammo but also for the reloads too.
If anyone has any 6.5 Creed moor in 143 gr ELD-X for sale at a fair price please PM me.

 

[Randy Bo]

Hey guys let me run this by y'all. I have been looking for Hornady 143 gr ELD-X ammo for 6.5 Creed moor on the web. What I seem to be finding there is a lot of ELD-X ammo out there but I feel multiple sites are just scammers. I have seen it from $28.00 a box with a minimum of $350.00 order or as high as $69.00 a box and $30.00 minimum shipping. When checking these companies out I find them to have Google phone numbers, just a recording or a web site to order not knowing if they are even real or a review may say scam alert.
I think it would be GREAT if AH members & Friends would post legitimate sources of good prices for not only factory ammo but also for the reloads too.
If anyone has any 6.5 Creed moor in 143 gr ELD-X for sale at a fair price please PM me.

I used Gunbroker for the first time to purchase 100 rounds of the 143 ELD-X back in July. After fees and shipping charges I paid around $3/round. I was very hesitant but could not find this ammo anywhere except Gunbroker. I bought from Sportsmans Supply...They are a top 10 seller with over 350,000 transactions...They accept postal money-orders (This was important to me)...They answered the phone both times I called...The lady that took my calls was very courteous and helpful...I received the ammo 10 days after winning the auction...I was pleasantly surprised at how well the entire process went...But, so far, this is my one and only transaction using Gunbroker...

 

[Tra3]

Hey guys let me run this by y'all. I have been looking for Hornady 143 gr ELD-X ammo for 6.5 Creed moor on the web. What I seem to be finding there is a lot of ELD-X ammo out there but I feel multiple sites are just scammers. I have seen it from $28.00 a box with a minimum of $350.00 order or as high as $69.00 a box and $30.00 minimum shipping. When checking these companies out I find them to have Google phone numbers, just a recording or a web site to order not knowing if they are even real or a review may say scam alert.
I think it would be GREAT if AH members & Friends would post legitimate sources of good prices for not only factory ammo but also for the reloads too.
If anyone has any 6.5 Creed moor in 143 gr ELD-X for sale at a fair price please PM me.

Midway. Highbyoutdoors, Miwall, cheaperthandirt
These have been good for ammo purchases for me. I also waste a lot of time looking for ammo that isn’t available lately. I suspect we are in for another 6-10 months of minimal ammo.

 

[Randy Bo]

Midway. Highbyoutdoors, Miwall, cheaperthandirt
These have been good for ammo purchases for me. I also waste a lot of time looking for ammo that isn’t available lately. I suspect we are in for another 6-10 months of minimal ammo.

I used Midway to decide what my maximum bid would be on Gunbroker. Midway’s listed price for the 143 ELD-X was $3.05/round but out-of-stock. So I figured if a man could get it for around $3/round he would be doing pretty good. This is more than I would have liked to have paid but given our current situation, things such as Gunbroker seem to be the only viable option for most.

 

[SaintPanzer]

I realized the other day that everything I have is prior to The Great War. There's the .45 ACP (1911), the .30-06 (1906), and of course my 6.5X54 (1903) and 9.5X57 (1910). My 9mm is kind of small (9X19), but that's about 1908. I would like something heavier, so I'll "modernize" with a 9.3X64 (1927). I should stay pre-war with a .375 H&H, but I have this standard length Mauser action, so... Maybe I'll just use that at .275 H&H, but I'll still need that wee heavy so I'll be in the market for another. Besides, a .275 won't do anything I wouldn't do with the .30-06.

As far as "low recoil" goes, the 6.5X54 does that, as will a .30-30. the .30-06 shoots "flat enough" at most normal engagement ranges, and I don't know why you'd want to shoot game at long range anyway. Get closer. That's why they call it stalking. Sure, I can see it across a valley for Gams or something like that, but you're only going to have to walk to get it, and a miss would be a very poor thing. Nasty, flash, gimcrack things, that's what I think. But the marketing is good, so...

 

[Von Gruff]

2920? Don't you mean 1920?. I'll go along with that even though I have some newer ones.

Hahaha that is fat fingers 1920

 

[shark_za]

Stick with ammunition that fires bonded, partition or monolithic bullets for hunting.
Cup and core bullets like SST, Interlock, Gameking, ELDX, are fine on Springbuck and Blesbuck at longer range, they are a liability close up in the bushveld, specially so on Wildebeest and Kudu.
Trophy hunters dont care about lead in the meat, but should care about wounding and premature bullet breakup.
The chance of the bullet hitting bone as almost 50/50, African animals vitals are more forward and you dont always get the best shot angles.
If you are sniping across valleys in the Eastern Cape or shooting across Karoo plains, then you can probably make do with the most accurate load you can find, even if its a little fragile. But that is such a specific use case.

Norma Bondstrike and Sirocco loaded factory ammo. Bondstrike might be available there already.
Nosler Partition and Accubond (NOT the LR version)
Federal Fusion 140gr even; over anything with an ELDX in it.
SAKO Deerhead 156gr (like an Oryx)
Barnes VOR-TX 120gr

 

[112Savage]

For those looking for ammo check out ammoseek.com
Or
Wikiarms.com

these are search engines for ammo and are quite helpful listing the findings by price per round.

 

[SaintPanzer]

Oh, and seeing as I'm still in a mood to rant, about those man buns. Unless you are legitimately a Samurai, you do not rate a man bun. Cut it off. Then again, I am in violent agreement with Ron Swanson: "There are three acceptable types of hair cuts: Crew Cut, Buzz Cut, and High and Tight. Are the scissors broken in your house, son?"

 

[buck wild]

I truly enjoy this site because there is such a wealth of information from you guys. I feel I got 110% of the information of which factory ammo to try out on the range to see which ammo my Creedmoor enjoys the best. Now the hard part... trying to find and buy this ammo in todays times.

The Academy at 59 and Kirby had the Hornady 143 gr ammo in stock two weeks ago !!! Should be about 2 miles from you My 6.5 CM LOVES that stuff.

 

[buck wild]

That is, "what will your Creedmoor do, that my properly loaded 6.5 x 55 Swede won't?"

Answer

For a fact there is a lot better factory ammo selection for the Creedmoor

Simple Answer- my 6.5 CM shoots ammo off my local sporting good store. I can't say about your "properly loaded" ammo and therefore I edited your quote above

 

[Louis Toadvine]

+1 to Ammoseek. Customizable searches (by caliber, of course, but you can drill down deeper by manufacturer, grain, etc.). Lists items by cost per round, which is handy and saves time especially for buying in bulk and comparing different sized packaging.

Not sure if it aggregates much of the larger caliber/big bore stuff (the biggest caliber I've used it for is 9.3x62; I've bought buckets of 7.62 NATO/.308 and 5.56 NATO/.223 and a bunch of pistol calibers from using it), but I would highly recommend.

 

[shootist~]

Since there seems to be a few 6.5 Creedmoor aficionados responding to this thread, I'd like to ask a serious question. That is, "what will your Creedmoor do, that my properly loaded 6.5 x 55 Swede won't?" For a fact there is a lot better factory ammo selection for the Creedmoor, but other than
that ? ? ? ? By properly loaded I mean a 140 gr. NP at 2775 FPS. Or for slightly larger game a NORMA Factory 156 Gr. Oryx.

FWIW, my only "Broken Case" was in a 1903 M96 6.5x55 Swedish Mauser.
A very accurate load using RL22 and a 140 grain Sierra that had been working fine in one rifle was too hot for the 1903 rifle.

Probably a headspace issue since I was Full Sizing my (Lapua) brass enough to chamber in any of the surplus rifles I had. But I no longer push the old Swedes. I ended up with a load that runs around 2,600 fps with a 139 grain Lapua.

Edit: I should note that had it not been for my shooting glasses, I probably would have suffered some eye damage. The right lens on the shooting glasses caught some hot oil when gas escaped around the bolt. No damage, otherwise.

 

[Tra3]

Stick with ammunition that fires bonded, partition or monolithic bullets for hunting.
Cup and core bullets like SST, Interlock, Gameking, ELDX, are fine on Springbuck and Blesbuck at longer range, they are a liability close up in the bushveld, specially so on Wildebeest and Kudu.
Trophy hunters dont care about lead in the meat, but should care about wounding and premature bullet breakup.
The chance of the bullet hitting bone as almost 50/50, African animals vitals are more forward and you dont always get the best shot angles.
If you are sniping across valleys in the Eastern Cape or shooting across Karoo plains, then you can probably make do with the most accurate load you can find, even if its a little fragile. But that is such a specific use case.

Norma Bondstrike and Sirocco loaded factory ammo. Bondstrike might be available there already.
Nosler Partition and Accubond (NOT the LR version)
Federal Fusion 140gr even; over anything with an ELDX in it.
SAKO Deerhead 156gr (like an Oryx)
Barnes VOR-TX 120gr

I’m curious why you don’t recommend the accubond LR? (That is the ABLR right?) My understanding is that the accubond and the accubond LR are the same bullet construction, but the LR has a better BC. Please correct me if I am wrong. And do tell what negative results you have seen.

 

[shark_za]

The ABLR has a thinner jacket and expands at lower velocities, great idea when its impacting game at range after slowing down.
Not great hitting a shoulder bone at 60m.

 

[shark_za]

But its never really productive to talk in absolutes.
The heavier ABLR will probably do fine anyway.

Again if your hunt is in the open plains then you will have great success.
I'm biased after spending the last two years hunting with 50m visibility, the rains have been good.